mathias



(No Model.)

D. H. MATHIAS. EGG HOLDER.

No. 437,706. Patented Oct. 7, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID H. MATHIAS, OF ALBANY, NElV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES H.SIMONSON, OF SAME PLACE.

EGG-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,706, dated October7, 1890.

Application filed June 13, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID H. MATHIAS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg-Holders, of whichthe following is a specification.

' My invention relates to improvements in egg-holders; and it consistsin the combinaxo tions of the devices and elements hereinafterdescribed, and specifically set forth in the claims.

The objects of my invention are, first, to combine with a supportingpiece or web a group of three or more elastic metallic eggretaining armswhich converge at their place of union with said piece or web and arecurved toward each other, so as to be capable of receiving and retainingan egg by their coaction; second, the combination, with a supportingpiece or web, of a series of groups of three or more elastic metallicegg-holding arms, in which the said arms of each group diverge fromtheir common point or place of union with said supporting piece or weband are curved toward each other, whereby several eggs can be introducedinto the holder and be retained in store or in carriage or while beingboiled and be removable at will; third, the combination, with asupporting piece or web and a handle, of a series of groups of three ormore elastic metallic egg:

holding arms,in which the said'arms diverge at their place of union withthe said supporting piece or web and are curved toward each other, witheach end free and independent of the others, and the several free endson a circle of less diameter than that of the eggs, whereby a number ofeggs can be held in, place with the said supporting piece or web withoutshifting and be readily immersed into water and withdrawn at will; and,further, to combine with a water holding vessel and a disk, which canoperate as a cover to said vessel, a series of groups of three or moreelastic metallic egg-holding arms which diverge from their points ofunion with said disk and curve toward each other with their individualouter ends free and on a cir- 50 ole of smaller diameter than that ofthe eggs,

whereby the latter can be introduced within Serial No. 355,388. (Nomodel.)

a vessel holding boiling water while they are held separately and becovered within said vessel and be readily removed at will. I attainthese objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is aview fromabove of an egg-holding device embodying some of the features of myinvention and illustrating the device in position with the egg-holdin gelastic arms, and eggs held therein projected upwardly from the web orpiece serving in such a caseas the base or bottom of the device. Fig. 2is a side elevation of the same, and illustrating it provided with ahandle when the holder is intended to be used partly or wholly forboiling eggs; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the egg-holder anda vessel for holding water for boiling eggs.

The several parts throughout the several views are indicated by similarletters of reference.

In the drawings, A is a suitable piece or web, to which is secured theseveral egg-holding devices used in this invention. This piece or webcan be made of any suitable material, yet sheet metal, preferablysheet-tin or galvanized iron out to any suitable shape and size, ispreferred. WVhen sheet-metal pieces 86 or webs A are used, I wouldstiffen such pieces by corrugations, beads, or their equivalents bysuitable means, as practiced by workers of sheet metal. The drawingsshow this pieceA to be made with a circular form, and shaped (bystriking up) somewhat like a cover of a culinary vessel.

B B are egg-holders, each formed'by a group of elastic metal arms a a a,made, preferably, of steel or spring-brass. These arms are of 90suitable length and have their ends or portions at piece A secured tothe latter by any suit able means, as by solder, rivets, or otherwise,and they diverge from their common point of connection with the piece Aand are 9 5 curved inwardly, as shown, with their outer ends free andseparate from each of the others and on' a circle of less diameter thanthat of the eggs to be held. The outer or free ends of these arms areturned outwardly and prefzoo erably over on the body of the stripsforming these arms,- as shown.

The piece A is provided with any suitable handle for convenience forcarrying this eggholder and the eggs held therein; but when the holderis to be used exclusively for transportation, the handle can bedispensed with and the piece or web A can be invertedfrom situationabove, as shown, to below the elastic arms, so that the latter willappear to proj ect upwardly from said web instead of downwardly, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3. This piece or web A and the several egg-holdersB, composed each of the elastic metal arms a, a a, as described, form adevice which can be employed with advantage by housekeepers, farmers,dealers, and others for holding large numbers of eggs in store, witheach egg held separate from the others and in position best adapted topreserve it in good condition and protect. it from liability ofbreakage. When this device is of capacity for holding from twenty tofifty or more or less eggs each for'use for storage and transportation,

, as by farmers or shippers or dealers, these devices can be used innumbers of from two to five or more together, when filled with eggs,within an outer box or crate, (not shown,) as

is the practice with egg-holders of other constructions, for theirprotection and for convenience for handling.

Although the web or piece A can be made of wood to serve as a base orbottom to the device when it is to be used for storage or transportationof eggs, yet for domestic uses in homes, hotels, &c., I construct thesaid web or piece A of sheet metal of such size and form as may besuitable to afford it capacity for holding the number of egg-holders Bdesired to be used in a single device, and such ametal piece or web canserve as a baseor bottom for the device when placed on atable or shelf,with the elastic arms a a a and eggs held therein. projecting upwardly,as illustrated in Fig. l. This-web or piece A, when made-of sheet metal,can be made with such a form aswilladapt it to serve as a cover for apot or kettle or sauce-pan D for boiling water, so that when placed overand on the top of such vessel with the egg-holding arms a, a awiththeeggs therein projected downwardly within the chamber of the same,as illustrated in Fig. 3, the eggs will be securely held in the embraceof the elastic arms a. a a and be supported within the said vesseleach-separate from the others-and at the same distance from the bottomof the same, soas to-be evenly boiled therein.

. When this egg-holding device is to be used in. homes for holding eggsin store, and also for boiling the same, the web or piece A is providedwith a suitable handle for convenience; of handling the device whileheated, and preference is given to the handle 0, made in the form of abail, jointed to the side of piece A opposite from that from which theegg-holding arms a project.

Theweb or piece A is illustrated as being composed of a single piece,yet it can be made up of several pieces orsectionssuitablysecuredtogether, and the several groups B of elastic arms a a a may be inclosedabout by suit.- able pieces, which will operate as guarding sides, asispracticed in some cases with eggholders of other constructions.

For transportation of eggs this egg-holder can be used in anysuitablenumber when inclosed within a suitable crate or other recep tacle, andin such a case I would employ with the egg-holders and the crate orreceptacle bars or suitable devices, with either, to hold theneighboring egg-holders apart, or the eggs in one holder from contactwiththe piece A of the neighboring holder.

The advantages attending the use of these curved elastic arms a we ingroups of three or more, constructed and secured-as described, are thatan egg embrace of each group of said curved and incan be readily placedin the dependent elastic arms and be securely held therein in all thepositions the holder may have given. to it without requiring any me-.

chanical manipulations of parts by the operator; also, that. by theindependence of, each arm in the samegroup of the others the weakness ofone of the arms in the group isv notvv liable to affect the embracingstrengthof the others; also, because of the freedom of each one of thecurved elastic arms from the others in the group and from connectionwith any ring from pieces pivoted to the outer ends thereof these curvedelastic arms are allowed to be separately or independently expanded forplacing an egg, and freely contract'onthe same when placed, so astotightly hold it from falling out of the embrace of-said armswhen theyare in a pendent position below the piece A. Afurther advantage isthatthe several groups of these curvedelastic and independent metal armswhen secured to a.

single web A, also made ofmetal,'canbe used by housekeepers for holdingeggs in store in best position until used, and also be employed to holdeggs within a' vessel of boiling water until cooked, and then readilywithdrawing the same and immersing them in cold water to check furthercooking.

, Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLettersPatent,

1. Thecombination, with the piece or wi\ A, of a group of three or moreelastic metal arms a a a, secured to said web or piece and. curvedinwardly and having their-outer ends free, separate, and independent ofeach other and contracted to within a circle of less diameterthan thatof the outer throw of the curvature of said arms, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

2. The combination,with asupporting piece or web A, of a series ofgroupsB B of three or more elastic metal arms a a a, which con-- vergeat their respective places of union in groups with said piece or web andarecurved inwardly with their freeends separate and independent each ofthe others and capable of being expanded at will for receiving eggswithin their embrace, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, with a piece or web A, having a handle secured to aside thereof, of a series of groups B B of three or more-curved elasticmetal arms a a a, which are projected from the side of the said pieceopposite to that the handle is secured to and diverge in each group fromtheir respective points of union with said piece and have their outerends free and each separate and independent of the others and set to acircle of less diameter than that at which the outer throw of thecurvature of said arms occurs in each group, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

DAVID II. MATHIAS.

Witnesses:

CORNELIUS VAN DERZER, J. H. SIMONSON.

